Hatch Retires from DCEG
Maureen Hatch, M.P.H., Ph.D., senior staff scientist in the Radiation Epidemiology Branch (REB) retired from DCEG in July 2019, after 17 years of service. Dr. Hatch is widely recognized for her expertise in the field of radiation epidemiology, particularly for her leadership in studying the health effects of the Chernobyl accident.
Dr. Hatch earned her master’s degree in public health and doctorate in epidemiology from Columbia University. She received tenure at two prestigious medical centers in New York City (Columbia and Mount Sinai) and was Director of the Epidemiology Division at Mount Sinai, before being recruited by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in 2002.
Dr. Hatch made integral contributions to REB, including leading the Chernobyl Research Unit (CRU) for seven years. As head of the CRU, Dr. Hatch led unique studies of childhood growth, development, and fertility, in relation to in-utero radiation exposure following the Chernobyl accident in collaboration with investigators in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). She also coordinated the efforts of the TRIO Study to evaluate genetic effects in the children of adults exposed to radiation from the accident. In recognition of her and her collaborators’ long-standing contributions and path-breaking studies on the Chernobyl accident, Dr. Hatch received an NIH Merit Award in 2013.
In addition to her research on radiation, Dr. Hatch served as Chair and Vice Chair for the Social Sciences Institutional Review Board between 2006 to 2009, during which time she spearheaded the development of new policies for protocol review to address human subject considerations for genome-wide association studies; the team received an NIH Merit Award in 2008 in recognition of their efforts.
Dr. Hatch made significant contributions in the field of epidemiology and is an author of over 160 peer-reviewed journal articles, commentaries, reviews and books. Her work with Marlene Goldman on the book titled Women & Health won the Award for Excellence in Medical Science from the Association of American Publishers. She also served as President of the Society for Epidemiologic Research in 2004.
“During her years in the REB, Dr. Hatch has championed research into the health effects of children exposed to environmental radiation,” commented Dr. Elizabeth Cahoon, Earl Stadtman Investigator of REB. “Dr. Hatch initiated and designed the first epidemiological study of fallout exposure among in utero exposed individuals. Her leadership has led to important scientific insights in the etiology of thyroid disease and fortified the collegial, productive, long standing and long-distance relationships of researchers in the National Cancer Institute with collaborators in Ukraine and Belarus. She will be missed by all.”